Woman sentenced to 11 years in prison for killing man who sexually trafficked her

Warning: This article contains a discussion of sexual assault that some readers may find disturbing.

A Milwaukee woman who shot and killed a man who she said had exposed her to sex trafficking has been sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Chrystul Kizer, 24, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter earlier this year after shooting 34-year-old Randall Volar in his home in Kenosha, Wisconsin in 2018.

Kizer was just 17 years old at the time and claimed that she had been trafficked by Volar since she was 16.

Kizer said Volar sexually abused her, giving her cash and gifts and selling her to other men for sex.

A Washington Post investigation uncovered evidence, including videos, suggesting that Volar had filmed the sexual abuse of Kizer and that he had abused about a dozen girls, all of whom appeared to be underage.

Volar was arrested for sexual assault in early 2018 but released the same day.

According to the Associated Press, Kizer told her boyfriend she was going to shoot Volar because she was tired of being touched by him.

She put a gun in her bookbag and traveled from Milwaukee to Kenosha, where she shot Volar in the head, burned down his house and stole his BMW.

Kizer claimed Volar sexually trafficked her. (Kenosha County Sheriff's Department)

Kizer was arrested and initially charged with first-degree premeditated murder, arson, auto theft and illegal possession of a firearm, but she argued that she should not be prosecuted because of the crimes she herself committed.

Kizer based his argument on “affirmative defense” provisions in some states that exonerate victims of human trafficking from criminal responsibility for crimes they committed as a direct result of trafficking.

Kizer had previously questioned whether this defense could be used in manslaughter, and in 2022 the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled that it could.

The court ruled that Kizer's lawyers must be able to present evidence proving that the crimes she is accused of were a “direct result” of her trafficking in order to claim immunity.

Kizer was sentenced to 11 years in prison. (FOX6 News Milwaukee)

According to a statement from the Chicago Community Bond Fund, Kizer continues to insist that Volar's killing was an act of self-defense, but in May she pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of involuntary manslaughter.

The confession was part of an agreement that would allow Kizer to avoid a life sentence.

She has now been sentenced to eleven years in prison plus five years probation.

In an email to CNN, Kenosha County District Attorney Michael Graveley said, “The 11 years is minus … 570 days because she served time in pretrial detention.”

If you are affected by any of the issues described in this article, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800.656.HOPE (4673), which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Or you can chat online at online.rainn.org